Dear Familia,

At its founding in 1974, SHPE resolutely proclaimed a goal to “Increase the number of Hispanics entering into the field of engineering.” Those very words were printed on the first organizational brochure over 45 years ago. And in the decades since, they have guided the heart of SHPE’s mission.

When the 2019 National Convention theme was chosen, “The Power of Transformation,” we couldn’t have imagined what a truly transformative year it would be and the power these changes would give us as individuals, as an organization as a whole, and as a collective community.

While the essence of SHPE’s foundation was built upon remains the same, 2019 brought us a bold new vision – one where our members were proclaimed heroes, our story became a national just cause and our global impact became undeniable. We became invincible.

A new logo, tagline, and website were created to reflect this paradigm shift. Our membership and event attendance broke records. Our business practices were recognized and awarded at the highest levels.

In 2019, our membership grew to 11,129 – a never-before achieved milestone. And the final tally for the National Convention is one for the books. A record 9,128 people attended in Phoenix. That’s a 19% increase over 2018! As SHPE National grows, so too does our network—our Familia. We are more than just a member organization; we’re a national force in STEM, drawing attention to our organization through sheer force of numbers and impact.

At #SHPE2019, we unveiled a brand new logo and tagline. And while we kept the color palette and font as a nod to our legacy, this dynamic new logo illustrates our future.

The four links symbolize SHPE’s four values (Familia, Service, Education and Resilience) as well as the four STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Meanwhile, the colors speak to our Hispanic community and SHPE’s vibrant culture and history. Last but not least, the atom-like image represents the origins of everything—that new beginnings are always possible.

Our redesigned website is our window to the world. We want to demonstrate how SHPE is profoundly changing lives and “Leading Hispanics in STEM.” Members are now featured as the heroes of our story, and this website puts them front and center. We hope you love it as much as we do. You helped us create it, after all.

While we are taking big steps forward, we want to assure you we are doing so with the utmost integrity. We achieved another Platinum year with GuideStar – the highest level of recognition for financial transparency a nonprofit can get. And earlier this year, we produced our first dynamic, interactive and overtly transparent Annual Report, sharing our story for 2018. We want you to know what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and where we are going next.

“The Power of Transformation” isn’t the climax or culmination of SHPE’s story, but the first chapter in a new, more empowering narrative—one in which we identify, come to understand, and unabashedly celebrate the amazing strides we’ve made and will continue to make. It’s a time to revel in our accomplishments and honor our work, while at the same time being diligent and determined in how we plot our path forward. We are better than ever. And we are always better together.

Un abrazo fuerte,

Raquel Tamez, CEO
Miguel Alemany, Board Chair